The Little Big Things West End Reviews

On paper, it really isn’t the most obvious book to turn into a musical, but somehow it just about works. Butcher and Ling’s songs are enjoyable, with some real toe-tappers like “Uma Vida” peppered throughout; though not a complete measure of ...

On paper, it really isn’t the most obvious book to turn into a musical, but somehow it just about works. Butcher and Ling’s songs are enjoyable, with some real toe-tappers like “Uma Vida” peppered throughout; though not a complete measure of a song’s quality, none are particularly memorable – “The Little Big Things” only sticks in your head on the way out of the theatre because it’s the last song you hear (and the chorus is repeated multiple times). Employing a pop-rock score is an interesting choice – and definitely grounds the action in the late noughties – but ultimately means many of the songs are rather samey.

The creators’ experience in crafting three-minute hits and their relative ignorance of musical theatre convention prove liberating. Several numbers, particularly those involving the bros, sound like superior boyband ballads: I mean that as a compli...

The creators’ experience in crafting three-minute hits and their relative ignorance of musical theatre convention prove liberating. Several numbers, particularly those involving the bros, sound like superior boyband ballads: I mean that as a compliment. There are party tunes as Henry goes out drinking both pre- and post-accident. OK, it’s a little obvious to give Parris, the only black woman in a lead role, a gospel-inflected tune: but the lyrics communicate both the stress and the passion of a doctor’s life.

You could sense the audience willing on the gutsy performers on press night. Yet it was just as hard to ignore the nagging impression that the project is several rewrites away from the finished article. The rock score by the debutant composer Nick Bu...

You could sense the audience willing on the gutsy performers on press night. Yet it was just as hard to ignore the nagging impression that the project is several rewrites away from the finished article. The rock score by the debutant composer Nick Butcher aspires to be anthemic, but drifts into U2-lite territory. There’s not much cheer in the lyrics either: Butcher and his co-writer, Tim Ling, string together solemn platitudes as they piece together Fraser’s recovery after a beach accident which left him paralysed from the neck down when he was just 17.

But while the piece deals in powerful themes – courage, resilience, the strength and joy that spring from love and creativity – it paints in primary colours. White’s book has a by-numbers feel, and the poppy music is melodiously middle of the r...

But while the piece deals in powerful themes – courage, resilience, the strength and joy that spring from love and creativity – it paints in primary colours. White’s book has a by-numbers feel, and the poppy music is melodiously middle of the road, a less memorable close cousin of Dear Evan Hansen. It’s carried by the story’s emotional heft, and by winning performances.

One of the things that makes The Little Big Things, and indeed Luke Sheppard’s visionary, career-best production, so special is that it doesn’t just represent disability on stage, it actively celebrates it, which feels like a beautiful, uplifting...

One of the things that makes The Little Big Things, and indeed Luke Sheppard’s visionary, career-best production, so special is that it doesn’t just represent disability on stage, it actively celebrates it, which feels like a beautiful, uplifting thing. Nowhere is this better demonstrated than by the show-stealing performance of rising star Amy Trigg as Agnes, the physiotherapist instrumental in turning Henry’s life around. Agnes is in a wheelchair following a devastating car accident but has carved out a new life as a health professional, has a sexy husband, and a ferociously ‘can-do’ attitude matched only by her compassion. Trigg makes her witty, horny, bossy, completely inspiring and about as far removed from being a victim as it’s possible to imagine. She reinforces the point that when something life changing happens, a refocused set of expectations is essential for survival.